Rising Night 5: The Final Battle
by Mormeril
Summary: The day that you've all been waiting for is here. The Final Battle has arrived at last, and the Clans will never be the same afterwards. The final installment in the primary story arc of Rising Night until sequel series.
1. Prologue

**Well, I did it. I told myself I'd get this up on New Year's Day, and here it is!**

**Hollyleaf: Yippee!**

**Hopeflower: I wonder who the confirmed de-**

**Mormeril: NO SPOILERS!**

Rising Night Book 5:

The Final Battle

_Prologue_

_Eight sorrowful cats stood together, overlooking the aftermath of the War. Of the nine who had set out from the Lake moons before, eight remained. Of the twelve who had returned a moon and a half before, eleven remained. Of the fourteen brave, charismatic cats who had led the Clans, the Tribe, the Rogues, and the Lost Ones into battle, twelve remained. Two of the brave leaders had fallen in battle. Both she-cats had died bravely. They had died for love and freedom._

_A pale silver tabby she-cat turned her face, her blue eyes boring into the eyes of the tom she loved. A single tear fell down her cheek before she bounded the few steps towards him, pressing her cheek to his._

"_It's all right," he soothed. "She's in StarClan now. They all are."_

_The War had been fought and won. Evil was defeated, yet at a great cost. Their lives were now changed forever..._

* * *

_2 moons earlier..._

_The Tribe..._

Lily gazed down at the valley from the cliff she was standing upon. There were cats down there. There were eleven of them. Two smaller ones, eight large ones, and one who vaguely resembled mist, only a pale gold colour, and slightly more solid than mist. Her eyes narrowed. Who were these cats and why were they here? She had never seen them before in her life.

She gasped softly as she remembered the few stories about the Clan cats that she had once heard. Could it be that these were them? Yes, that must be it! They were Clan cats! But if they were Clan cats, what business did they have with the Tribe? Could it have something to do with the huge dark clouds that were gathering in the skies?

She trembled slightly, recalling stories she'd heard of the time shortly before her birth. How the skies had been black from storm clouds, and the Clans and the Tribe had united to battle their enemy. Yet it now appeared that they had been less successful than they had thought. All signs pointed to another War, and she could feel in her blood that this War would be the greatest War ever fought.

* * *

The cats of StarClan gazed down in sorrow. The Last Stand of the Clans was coming, and the fate that awaited the Clans afterwards was entirely shadowed and hidden.

"We may have been too late," Bluestar meowed, pain in her voice as she murmured the words.

"No, it's not over yet," Spottedleaf retorted, lifting her chin. "There is still a chance, there is still hope for the Clans!"

"But not much now," Yellowfang put in, joining them.

"But not so little that we may as well give up now, Yellowfang," Raggedstar retorted, stepping forward to meet Yellowfang's gaze evenly. "There is always hope. Or have you forgotten that Shiningleaf has been reincarnated to bring hope to the Clans. If they have hope, then they stand a chance at victory."

Yellowfang's eyes narrowed momentarily, but then her gaze softened. "You're right. We shouldn't assume the worst yet."

The star-furred cats then all turned to a fluffy black she-cat with stars in her pelt. "Here's hoping your kits and the rest of the Chosen will succeed, Hollyleaf," Yellowfang meowed quietly, and the black she-cat dipped her head.

"Successful _and_ alive," Hollyleaf added.

"They will," Spottedflower meowed, padding over to them. "I have faith in them," she purred. "We all should."

* * *

Light stalked back and forth, restless. Her mind was reeling with memories. She couldn't focus on anything.

_The final battle is practically here, and I _still_ haven't told Star how I feel! And I swore to myself that he would know! I swore that I would tell him!_

Her heart sank, however, when she realized that there was no point in telling him. She recalled the last time she had caught a glimpse of her reflection in a pool of water. Her shredded ear, scarred face and body... Why would Star want someone like her? She was hideous.

_There are so many beautiful young she-cats around, why would he want to pick me?_

She squeezed her eyes shut. What was she thinking? Maybe Star did care about her. She had to let go of the remnant bit of her that cared more about looks than personality. Star wasn't like that. Star saw the cat inside, not the cat on the outside.

Which meant that she did stand a chance with Star.

* * *

Hopeflower glanced at her sister Moonshine, who was walking beside her. "What do you think the Tribe will be like?" she asked her sister. Her heart was racing with excitement. She had never met the Tribe cats, although she had always longed to. And finally she would get her chance. A quick glance at her companions told her all the Clan cats felt the same. Lightningstrike and Echoflower were vhattering excitedly to each other as they glanced up the rocky cliffs of the mountains, Rosepetal's head was held higher than usual, just like on the days of her apprentice and warrior ceremonies, the one outward sign of excitement the black she-cat ever gave. Oakstep's eyes were darting everywhere, and Boltpaw was bouncing like he was a kit again.

Mist was joining Boltpaw in his excitement, more for the fun of it than out of genuine pleasure that she was about to meet Tribe cats. Neither she nor Hummingbird seemed to particularly care that they were meeting a new group of cats. As rogues, it was less of a big deal to them. They were raised differently from Tribe and Clan cats, and their culture was one of staying true to themselves and valuing survival and freedom above the more traditional values of the Tribe and Clans. So to them, as cats who believed that just so long as you did what you wanted and didn't damage another cat too severely to do so you were perfectly fine, they didn't comprehend how meeting a new group of cats was so fascinating.

And Goldensong, having had the opportunity to watch the Tribe on occasion, had a similar attitude to that of the two rogues.

"Really, they're just cats, just like you and I," Mist meowed to Boltpw when they stopped for a break.

"No they're not, they're different!" Boltpaw replied stubbornly.

"How?" Mist challenged.

"They believe in the Tribe of Endless Hunting, unlike us, and they divide themselves up differently, and name themselves differently, and-"

"They have faces, legs, paws, tails, whiskers, and fur," Mist snorted. "Just like us. They're cats. Any other differences shouldn't need to count." Boltpaw blinked. "Tigerflame, the Great, said that once. When he brought Rogues and Clans together once. We Rogues never forgot it, but clearly you Clan cats did."

Lightningstrike overheard Mist's comment, and stored it in the back of his mind. It would certainly be useful. He made a mental note to speak with her and Hummingbird at some point. As Tigerflame's reincarnation, he should have a decent idea of what exactly he would need to do. And talking to a pair of rogues seemed like the best place to start.

"What's that up there?" Moonshine asked suddenly, gazing upwards. The other cats all turned their heads to see what she was staring at.

A lone she-cat stood on the cliff, watching them. Before their eyes she then her way down the cliff-side to meet them. When she was only several feet above them, she spoke. "Welcome, Clan cats. I was wondering when you would return."

**Hopeflower: I wonder who the confirmed deaths are.**

**Mormeril: One of them is described slightly in a sneak-peek on my website *hint-hint***

**Spottedflower: I MADE AN APPEARANCE AGAIN! YAY!**

**Mormeril: No screaming! I'm running on ten minutes of sleep and I'm recovering from todays caffeine crash taht followed the six 710ml bottles of Pepsi I had last night for New Year's.**

**All Cats: *back away slowly***

**Ivytalon: REVIEW!**

**Mormeril: *death glare at Ivy***

**Hollyleaf: *notices Mormeril and Ivy; swinging sledgehammer around nonchalantly* Sledgehammer anyone?**


	2. Chapter 1

**Probably sucks, but Hollyleaf made me do this at sledgehammer point after kidnapping me from the barricade at my Les Mis fanfic.**

**Hollyleaf: Deal with it.  
**

**Mormeril: *groans* Rising Night is the first decent fanfic I've ever done, and it's four books long! Am I not allowed a nice little break to write a successful trilogy about my new obsession until I get my mind sorted out enough to start seriously writing about cats ripping each other to shreds again? This series is starting to make me crazy! One little break is all I want!  
**

**Hollyleaf: Too bad. I won't let you.  
**

**Mormeril: ... Fine... I'll be more balanced... Starting after exam week...  
**

Chapter 1

Lily sighed as she groomed a paw. She was perfectly content where she was, sitting outside on the cliff overlooking the beautiful territory that belonged to the Tribe of Rushing Water. This was her home. Yet, at the same time, she couldn't help but feel a strange longing for something else, for something more.

Something that the Clan Cats and their companions, who, for the past quarter moon had been residing with the Tribe, knew.

She could feel in her bones that there was something more to her life, something she had yet to discover. She had never known her father, and her mother had tried hard to isolate her when she'd been a kit. All she knew was that she was the first kit born after the War, and that her father had died in it.

In the past quarter moon, the Clan cats and their companions had become close to the Tribe. The new Stoneteller, who had been appointed after the last one died in the War, was quite friendly towards them, as were all Tribe cats now. After the War, their alliance had somehow remained in place.

Lily had grown close to one she-cat in particular, a light golden tabby named Hopeflower. The two had become fast friends in the short time they'd known each other, and were rarely apart. Now was an exception. She loved nothing more than to sit alone in this spot at sunset, and watch the sun sink low over the mountains, casting the clouds with a pink, orange, and violet hue. There was nothing more beautiful, in her mind.

And there was another cat from the Clans that had caught her interest as well. A young tom named Oakstep. There was something about him that she couldn't help but admire, and she wasn't sure what it was or why she felt that way. Every time she saw him, she would feel like there were butterflies in her stomach, and felt as though she couldn't breathe. It wasn't often that this happened, though, as he had barely given her a second glance save for the time they had met that day on the path, and for all she knew, he didn't care about her. Yet, for some bizarre reason, she cared about him.

Ever since she had met the Clan cats and intercepted their path that day when they had arrived, everything had changed. Her dreams about Clan life were far more common now, and the one thing about Hopeflower that annoyed Lily was her reluctance to answer questions about the Clans, as if she didn't want to talk about her life there, leaving her with little more knowledge than she had had the day they'd arrived.

"There are so many questions, and answers that somehow seem wrong," she murmured to herself. She then turned her gaze back up to the sky above the mountains, and imagined she had wings, wings that would allow her to fly away, over the mountains to some far-off land. "And a world that I long to see… Out of reach, just a whisper away, waiting for me!" Her claws sank into the ground. As much as she loved the mountains – they were her home, after all – she longed to see more of the world. She felt like she was being kept prisoner in a place that was beautiful only to distract her from the fact that she was trapped. Oakstep, however, was different. He had seen so much, yet he was a bit younger than her. It was so unfair! Perhaps, though, she would be able to go with him when they left.

"Ugh, does he know I'm alive?" she asked herself. He almost never even so much as acknowledged her, so for all she knew, he didn't.

She shook her head. Now was not the time to be falling head over tail for some random tom she'd known for a quarter moon. Even now, dark clouds were beginning to gather in the distance, at the edge of Tribe territory. And whatever it meant, it couldn't be good.

* * *

Acacialeaf was lost. She had been sent by her mother, Ivytalon, to go spy on the Clans, but the poor thing couldn't _find _them. So the poor little silver and white tabby she-cat had ended up going in circles for the past moon without realizing it.

Because Ivytalon was quite insane, Acacialeaf had become the ditzyest cat known to the region around the lake. She had the mentality of one who was above kittypets, yet below rogues and loners. Just slightly above kttypets, really, as she could hunt, but other than that, she was, well, entirely mouse-brained.

Which was why she was way off-course from the Clans, and halfway to the Tribe of Rushing Water. She would have been at the tribe ages ago, if she hadn't managed to keep going in circles somehow.

So there she was, lost as a pigeon, all alone, and she didn't even know it.


	3. Chapter 2

**So... Long time no see, unless you're also reading my Les Mis fics... Sorry this took so long, I just really needed a break from writing about cats. I hope this chapter was worth the long wait... I'll try to update again soon after this...**

**Hollyleaf: You'd better! Or else!**

**Mormeril: Shut up, Hollyleaf. Or else I'll drag you back to teh barricade with me and throw you at the National Guard!**

**Enjolras: Please do, she's quite annoying.**

**Mormeril: What are you doing on Clan territory? Shouldn't you be leading the barricade?**

**Enjolras: She dragged me here with you.**

**Mormeril: Oh, sorry...**

Chapter 2

Hopeflower sat alone, whisking her tail back and forth as she watched her sister gaze off in the direction of the lake, no doubt thinking about Ashfire. She felt a burning jealousy that she had long since though gone in her chest, and knew that she had only been trying to distract herself from her real love by admiring Hawkfire. Her heart belonged to Ashfire, and no other. But Ashfire didn't love her.

"He never saw me there," she whispered to herself, turning away and going to find her new friend, Lily. The two she-cats had quickly become friends, and got along quite well.

Just as she had never known her mother, Lily had never known her father. The difference, however, was that Hopeflower actually knew _about_ her mother, while Lily's mother never said a thing about the tom who had fathered her. A fact that Lily openly despised and resented.

Hopeflower was proud to know that her mother, Hollyleaf, had sacrificed herself for Hopeflower and her littermates, and proud of everything else she knew about the she-cat who had given them birth. But Lily, she knew nothing about her father.

Hopeflower sighed. Maybe, someday, she would be able to help her new friend learn about the father she had never known. She hoped that she would be able to, Lily had been so kind to her, and she desperately wanted to repay her.

Lily had opened up to her, and allowed Hopeflower to confide in her in return, something that she'd never had before.

She shook her head, frustrated. They'd been in the mountains for far too long! The Clans needed them! Ashfire needed them…

She didn't want to be there anymore. They had gone to the Tribe to see if they could convince the Tribe to join them in battle once again. Nothing had happened yet, though.

"Hopeflower! Hopeflower!" The golden tabby she cat looked up, her green eyes curious. She purred as she recognized her friend.

"Lily!" she meowed. "What's up?"

"The Tribe has decided!" her friend gasped, breathless with excitement. "We're going with you! We're going to the forest to help the Clans."

Hopeflower felt her heart swell with joy. Finally, after so many moons away, she would see Ashfire again. And her father and littermates as well. She was going home.

* * *

Several hours had passed since the Tribe had finally come to their decision to join with the Clans. _Or, at least, what remains of them_, Moonshine thought grimly. She squeezed her eyes shut, picturing Ashfire. _Please, StarClan, oh please let him still be living! He means the world to me._

She had waited so many moons to see him again, and now they would finally be returning. But what if he were dead? There was no way that she would be able to bear it if he had died.

"Moonshine?" The silver tabby she-cat raised her head at her sister's familiar voice, and turned her pale blue eyes on her. "You're thinking about Ashfire, aren't you?" Hopeflower asked knowingly.

"Yes," she whispered quietly. "Hopeflower, what if DarkClan has killed him in the past few moons that we've been away? I- I don't think I could bear it if he were dead."

Hopeflower pressed herself against her sister's side. "You have to have hope, Moonshine. You can't think like that, none of us can. We have to have hope that the ones we love are still alive, and that we will see them again." She took a deep breath before continuing. "You will see Ashfire again, Moonshine. I know you will."

Moonshine would never know the agony her sister felt at the thought of the two of them together.

* * *

Ashfire sighed as he gazed up at the moon. Where were they? Where was _she_? He prayed to StarClan that Moonshine was still alive. If she died, his world would more or less end. Although it might end sooner than that. DarkClan grew stronger every day.

"Life without Moonshine means nothing at all," he whispered to himself, lowering his head. Larkwing padded over.

"Daydreaming about my sister?" she teased. She had teased them as apprentices, and continued to do so now.

"Yes," he replied softly.

Larkwing purred. "I can't wait until the two of you have kits," she meowed. "They'll be the cutest kits in all the Clans!"

"If there's anything left of the Clans by then," Ashfire replied grimly.

"Hey, cheer up!" she mewed, nudging him with a paw. "If we don't stay positive, we'll be so busy moping that DarkClan will pad all over us! Then you two will _never_ have kits!"

Ashfire sighed. She was right. Maybe not about the kits part, that thought scared him, although he was not at all opposed to it, he just wasn't sure he was ready to be a father yet, but she was right about the positive part.

"You're right," he meowed quietly.

She perked up happily. "I know I am! I'm always right about love!" And with those last words, she padded off.

"And yet you're still single," he muttered to himself as he watched her leave. He then turned his face back towards the moon. "Please Moonshine, come back soon," he whispered.


End file.
